Fountain-pen.



PATBNTBD MAR. 12, 1907,

P. C. BROWN.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

- APPLIoATIoN FILED 11111.17, 190s.

III.

. NVENTOH ATTORNEYS 1 \\\\\\\\\\\\5 .NAN

Il rdllllf ril FRANCIS o. BROWN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

l Specification of Letters Patent.

.'iyolication filed March 17, 1906. Serial Nn- 306,494.

Patented March `12, 1907'.

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS C. BROWN, a resident of New Brighton, Staten Island, borough and county of Richmond, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'in Fountain- Pens, of which the following is a specification. y

My invention relates to fountain-pens, and particularly to pens of that class in which the pen proper, or nib, is retracted into the barre when not in use.`

My invention has-for its object to provide a very simple construction of the above-indicated class, and also to improve certain fea tures of the cap used inconnection with the pen, so as to render said cap more efficient and to prevent its becoming soiled.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinall section of' one form of my invention shown in position for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the y same pen shown closed. Fig 3 is a longitudinal section of the nib-carrying portion of the pen drawnniponan enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is an outside view of the cap. Fig. 5 is a cross-section thereof on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of a slightly-different form of cap. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of another form of my invention shown in the i closed position, and Figi 8 is a cross-section shoulder A3.

on line 8 8 of Fig. 3.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 and 8, the pen comprises a barrel A, which at its forward end has a reduced screw-threaded portion A' and at its extremity'a still further reduced portion AZ, provided with a beveled internal The mouth of the barrel is made smaller in diameter than the main chamber of the barrel, thus forming a shoulder A4 within the barrel near its forward end.

At its rear end the barrel is provided with an internal screw-thread adapted to receive the perforated plug B', projected from a sleeve B. The outer surface of this sleeve is flush with that of the barrel A, so that the sleeve to the e e forms the continuation of the barrel, as s own in Fig. 2. Within the sleeve B is arranged a perforated packing or washer C, made of cork or other suitable material, and this washer is held in place by means of a perforated lug D, fitted within the sleeve B and provided with a tubular extension D', the end of which is shouldered to fit Hush against the rear end of the sleeve B.

Withinthe barrel extends axially the feedbar E, passing through the perforationsof the`E plug B', the washer C, and the plug D. Generally the feed-bar is of such length that its rear end will be within the sleeve D', even when the nib is fully rojected, as shown in Fig. 1. At its forward end the feed-bancarries a nib-holder E', adapted to abut against the shoulder A4, and this nib-holder is provided with an abutment E2 at one side and with a'guide-pin E3 on the other side, said pin being adapted for engagement with the inner wall of the barrel. The abutment E2 may be provided with a small recess or socket E, as shown in Fig. 3. The nib-holder has a transversely-concaved brace F, preferably made of metal, such as gold, and this brace bears elastically against the lower tongue H,which, like the upper tongue G, is generally made of hard rubber. Both tongues are slitted lengthwise, as shown at G and H', and receive the nib I between them. The elasticity of the brace F is such that it will follow the nib when the latter is bent in use, the brace thus operating to alwa s keep the. lower tongue H against the ni -that is, the nib will in ordinary use never become separated from the lower tongue H.

As a means for projecting and retracting the nib 'I employ the cap which closes the open end of the barrelwhen the pen is in use. This cap has a body J, the internal diameter of which is greater than the external diameter of .the barrel, so that a free space or chamberis left between the barrel and the cap, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7. The open end of the cap is contracted, as at J', so that it will it the barrel, and in order to obtain a proper frictional engagement and a good joint'I prefer to slit the contracted end of thecap lengthwise, as indicated' at J2, and to place around this slitted portion an elastic ring K, preferably a split ring with beveled ,ends K. 'As shown in Fig. 6, two such split rings may be employed, one within the other, and with the ends arranged in brealvjoint fashion. When two split rings are employed, the inner ring will be unable to shift' around the end of the cap, so that the ends of the inner ring K will never get into one of the slits J 2. The body of the cap is provided with. openings J3 at about its central portion vand also with openings J4 near its closed end. From the said closed end proj ccts a plug J5, spaced from the inner wall of the cap and providedwith a central push-pin J Thechamber which is formed IOS IIO

' may stick to the inside of the cap will be\ between the barrel and the cap communi-v cates with the outside air-by means of the openings J3 and J4, and thus any ink which dried promptly. Y

The cap is Iadapted to be placed over either the front end of the barrel or the rear end thereof. In the latter case the push-pin J e will engage the reafr. endof the feed-bar E and will force the nib forward to the position thereof. The push-pin J6 in Vthis case lies Within the' concavity of the brace F and rests with its end in the socket E4 of the abutment E?. By pushing the cap inward the nib is brought into the barrel, as shown in Fig. 2. Y guides the feed-bar and prevents its being sprung or bent. The screw-thread A4 of the barrel is engaged with a screw-thread J7 of the cap, and a tight joint is obtained by the engagement of the plug J5 with the beveled mouth A of the barrel, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.' The openings Jl serve not only for ventilation, as` above described, but also enable the proper engagement of the push-pin J6 with the nib-carrier to lue-observed, since, as shown in Fig. 4, the end of the pushin is' visible through the openings J3. urtherm ore, the openings' enable air to rush in or out quickly when the cap is put on the barrel or withdrawn therefrom, thus Ydoing awaywith the resistance opposed by the air to the movement of the cap, and also with the injurious effect of the air compression or suction which might result in the spattering of ink. The openings inthe cap also give the fingers a better hold, and thus enable the cap to be turned more readily than when the entire surface of the cap is smooth and polished.

It will be observed that the forward end of the feed-bar E supports the pen or nib through the medium of the nib-carrier, While the rear portion of said feed-bar is guided in the rear wall of the ink-reservoir, and the end surface of the feed-bar is free or exposed and is thus adapted `to be engaged by the push-pin J 6, as in the position illustrated by Fig. 1. In the formof construction illustrated by Fig. 7 the construction of the feed-bar and the parts carried thereby is exactly the same as hereinbefore described, and no special description of these spart vwill therefore be necessary. The barrel construction and the cap construction are slightly dierent, though, and will now be described in detail. -The barrel 'a has .a contracted mouth a', thus forming an internal shoulder a2. No external screw-thread is provided on the front end ,Within the mouth a of the barr Furthermore, the cap has no in- During this niotion the 'pin E3 of the barrel. The internal screw-thread at the rear end of the barrel receives a erforated plug b', made integral with a co lar or bead b, and an externally-threaded sleeve b2, within which is located the washer c. This washer is held by a rear portion d of substantially the same diameter as the barrel, said rear portion screwing on the sleeve b2 and being perforated for the passageof the feedbar L, the rear endl of which is within an enlargement of chamber d. The cap differs from that previously described only by having the plug 7'5 Sina-ller 'than in the construction first explained, so that said plug can fite as shown in Fig. 7. ternal screw-thread; but otherwise its features are the same as before described, as will be obvious from the corresponding reference-letters applied thereto. The operation of the second form of my pen isexactly the same as that of the first, except that the capy is not screwed onA the barrel, the tight joint being obtained by the fit of the plug into the mouth a and 'by the engagement of the forward end of the barrel with the bottom or closed end of the cap.

The term exposed used with reference to the rear end surface of the feed-bar does not' necessarily mean lthat the said rear end surface should be readily visible or accessible, but

simply that it should be in contact with the outside air when the cap is removed from the rear end of the pen. As 'a matter of fact in the constructions illustrated b the drawings the rear end surface of the fee -bar, although exposed in the sense above explained, is always sheltered or protected by the surrounding sleeve portion D or d.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fountain-pen, the combination with the barrel, ofa cap, the bodyof which has an internal diameter reduced at the' open end of the cap to closely fit the barrel, but larger in the/body of the cap so asto form an air-chamber around the barrel, the cap being formed, at dierent distances from its end, with openings leadinginto said chamber.

l, A cap 7for fountain-pens, having its interior diameter reduced at the open end and enlarged in the body'of the cap, said cap hav ing openings leading to the said enlarged portion, and an internal /push-pin visible through said openings. i

` 3. A cap for fountain-pens, having a slitted open end, and a plurality of spht elastic rings surrounding said end and arranged in break-joint fashion.

4. ,A cap for fountain-pens, having its interior diameter reduced ,at the open end and enlarged in the body of the cap, the open end of the cap being slitted, and a clamping or contracting ring surrounding said slitted end. 5. In a fountain-pen, a nib-carrier pro.-

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vided with upper` and Ilower feed-tongues adapted to receive the nib between them, and a transversely-concaved brace engaging. the lower feed-tongue. i

6. In a fountain-pen, a nib-carrier pro-v vided with a feed-tongue adapted to engage the lower face of the nib, and a transverselyconc-aved brace engaging the lowerl feed- 8. In a fountain-pen, a barrel, a sliding feed-bar therein, a nib-carrier located at the forward end of the feed-bar and provided n with an abutment recessed on its forward face, a transversely-concaved brace extending forward of said abutment, and a cap provided with an internal push-pin adapted to lieuwithin the concavty of the brace and to engage, with its end, the recess of the abutment.

9. In a fountain-pen, a barrel having a perforated plug at its rear end, a feed-bar having itsrear end slidably mounted in said plug and having a nib-carrierv at its front end and anl abutment at one side of said nib-carrier, said feed-bar being freely movable for projecting the nib-carrier from or retracting it within the barrel, and a cap adapted to fit over and slide upon either end of the barrel, said cap being provided with an interior push-rod adapted to engage the rear end of the feed-rod or the abutment at the front end thereof, and move said rod the required distance when the cap is slipped on the barrel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, FRANCIS C. BROWN.

Witnesses:

JoHN- LOTKA, JOHN A. KEHLENBECK. 

